Material handling apparatus



April 2, 1935. w, p 1,996,488

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 April2, 1935.

w. E. PHILIPS MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1953 6Sheets-Sheet 2 April 2, 1935. w. E. PHILIPS MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 22, 1933 April 2, 1935. PH P 1,996,488

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS I rmzmmzrP/azzps l Q Wm 9 W dftoz we April2, 1935. w. E. PHILIPS MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1933 6Sheets-Sheet 5 April 2, 1935. w. E. PHILIPS 1,996,488

- MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS I Filed July 22, 1933 6 Sheets-Sheet 6jwuentoz Patented Apr. 2, 1935 PATENT Q-FFRHCE "MATERIAL HANDLINGAPPARATUS William 1*]. Philips, Chicago, 111, assignor to Link-BeltCompany, a corporation of Illinois Application July 22, 1933, Serial No.681,772

25 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in materialhandling apparatus.

In my co-pending application which has now resulted in "Patent No.1,980,634, 'filed November :13, 1934, I have disclosed and claimednumerous methods of building levees. Apparatus capable of carrying outthese various methods also is completely illustrated and described. The-present application discloses the apparatus of the aforementionedapplication with certain improvements added thereto which permit themechanism to more efficiently carry out its intended work. Thisapplication, therefore, constitutes a continuation in part of my saidcopending application.

Whilet'he apparatus embodying this invention has been designed primarilyfor use in building levees, it will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art that it may be very successfully used for building any form ofearth embankment or fill, road or railway bed, or the like.

It also is capable of use for handling loose material, for examplecoal,sand, or gravel, which is to be moved between different places ofstorage, between one or more storage piles and one or more means oftransportation, or between different means of transportation.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide apparatus adaptedfor use in building levees, expeditiouslyand at a comparatively lowcost. V

A further important object is to provide apparatus which is capable ofmoving loose material from one or more sources of supply to one or morepoints of use or to or from placesof storage.

.Another important object is to provide apparatus adapted for use'totransport loose material in a substantially continuous stream between asource of supply and a place of deposit with the said apparatus beingcapable of bodily movement to receive material from different portionsof said supply and discharge the same at cliffe'rent portions of saidplace of deposit'without interrupting the flow of material.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an automaticallyregistering transfer-conveyor unit which is adapted; for feedingmaterial from one conveyor unit or system, capable of being moved bodilytransversely of the direction of movement of the handled material, to asecond conveyor unit, also capable of bodily movement transversely ofthe direction of movement of the handled material, and to permit thesaid conveyor units to be independently moved laterally within apredetermined limited range without disturb- 7 ing the flow of materialover the said units.

Other obj-ectsrelate to particular features and arrangements of theapparatus'and the advantages derived therefrom, an of which will bepointed out and fully explained in the following 7 are employed todesignate like parts throughout the same,

Figure l is a schematic view showing my improved material handling,apparatus'operatmg to construct a levee.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail elevational view showing certain conveyorunits inter connected by my improved automatically registering transferconveyor.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5, collectively, show in elevatio details of the conveyorunits. and automatically registering transfer conveyor illustrated'inFig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing details of aportion of a tripper and adjacent receiving end ofa'swinging boomdistributor.

Fig. '7 is a plan View showing the details of my improved automaticallyregistering transfer conveyor 'unit.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one end portion of theautomatically registering transfer conveyor unit and taken on lines 8 8of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view of the remaining end of theautomatically registering transfer conveyor unit and taken on line '9 9of Fig. 3

The entire apparatus now will be briefly described in connection withFigures 1 and 2, wherein it is illustrated as being operated forbuilding a levee. 3

The reference character A designates the borrow pit from which materialis removed for constructing the levee B. The removal of the materialfrom the borrow pit is accomplished by a suitable number of excavatorunits C which, in accordance with the accepted use of my apparatus, maybe operated on unexcavated land in advance of the excavated borrow pit.-The material removed by the excavators C'is deposited in the hopperportions of conveyor feeder units D. The hoppers of these feeder unitsinclude mechanism for preparing the material as to size so that thematerial, when it finally reaches the levee, is deposited in relativelysmall increments; For an understanding of suitable apparatusfor'pr'operly sizing the excavated material, reference may be made to myaforementioned co-pending application.

Extending substantially in parallelism with the working edge of theborrow pit, and substantially at right angles to the center line ofexcavation of the borrow pit is a system of endless conveyor units E.Any desired number of units may be employed for receiving materialthroughout the full width of the borrow pit and to take care of Varyingdistances between the selectedsite of the borrow pit and the site of thebuilding levee. Where more than one feeder conveyor unit is employed,the respective units discharge their material from an elevated end intoa hopper associated with the adjacent end of the next successive unit.These various conveyor units are mounted on suitable trucks supported byrails F which will permit the said units to be moved bodily transverselyor laterally of the direction of movement of the handled material.

Arranged in advance of the building levee and substantially normal tothe center line thereof is a distributing or discharge unit designatedin its entirety by the reference character G. This unit consists of asuitable frame or bridge g along which moves the travelling tripper g.This bridge 9 is provided with a single endless conveyor belt trainedover the tripper for discharging material from the upper end of thetripper into a suitable hopper for the swinging boom distributor ordischarge conveyor 9 This boom structure is capable of swingingmovement, during operation, throughout the complete arc of a circleminus the space occupied by the associated tripper. The swinging boomunit and the tripper are inter-connected so that they may be movedsimultaneously along the bridge g. The distributing or discharge unit Gis mounted upon suitable trucks supported by the tracks F for permittingthe said unit to be advanced as the building of the levee progresses.

For the purpose of permitting the feeder conveyor system, made up of oneor more conveyor units E, and the distributing or discharge unit G to bemoved bodily along their supporting tracks F to make way for the leveeas the building of the same progresses without interrupting the flow ofmaterial over the said conveyor units E and the distributing unit G, anintermediate, automatically registering, transfer conveyor unit H isprovided. This intermediate transfer unit is suitably supported on theadjacent ends of the last conveyor unit E and the distributing unit G insuch a manner as to permit the transfer unit H to swing or pivotrelative to the inter-connected units E and G. The mounting of thisinterinediate transfer conveyor upon the inter-connected conveyor unitsis such that the differences in distance between the adjacent ends ofthe interconnected conveyor devices, resulting from the relativemovement between these devices, is taken care of.

In Fig. 1, the swinging boom distributor conveyor g is manipulated toconstruct an entirely new levee in successive stages. These stagesconsist of first depositing material to form the marginal zones or toesb after which the central portion or core I) is constructed. In Fig. 2,the swinging boom distributor unit is manipulated to accomplish therebuilding of an old levee by an enlargement method. The old levee B isenlarged by having the new levee portion B added thereto and preferablyat one side thereof. This levee enlargement portion usually is formed byfirst depositing material to provide a toe spaced from the adjacent baseof the old levee B and by then depositing material between the new toeand the old levee to form the completed new levee of desired formationor contour.

Fundamentally, the use of the apparatus embodying this invention forbuilding levees conborrow pit with the conveyor system serving theseveral excavators and conveying the material dug thereby to thebuilding portion of the levee. At this point, the material is receivedby a distributing unit, which takes the form of a swinging boomconveyor, and this unit controllably distributes the material accordingto a predetermined plan, for building the levee.

The borrow pit from which material is to be taken follows the line ofthe building levee'and the excavating work progresses in step withtheconstruction of the levee. It will be understood, of course, that theborrow pit' will be of such width as is required to provide the volumeof material necessary for theparticular levee under construction. Thus,by simply providing an appropriate number of excavating units, feedingunits and conveying units, any desired size of levee can be constructedwith this equipment.

The material excavated from the'borrow pit,

and properly sized in the feeder units D, is delivered in a continuousstream from the feeder units onto the conveyor system made up of theindependent units E and by the latter is conveyed continuously and in anunbroken stream,

subject to normal working conditions, to the ing both lateralextremities of the levee and also filling in and building up the core,all without requiring a boom of excessive length.

Reference is made to the specification of applicants issued Patent No.1,980,634 for a more complete discussion of the advantages and char-"acteristics of the invention claimed herein which is also disclosed butnot claimed in said patent, the disclosure contained in said patentspecification which relates to the apparatus disclosed and claimedherein and not repeated in this specification is hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

The preferred manner of manipulating the present apparatus to build aleveeis illustrated in Fig. 1 which consists in first constructing thetoes of the levee, which in effect provide firm retaining walls. This isdone by positioning the swinging boom conveyor upon the bridge so as tobring the area on which the toe is to be constructed within its range ofaction. This is followed by the discharge of a continuous stream ofprepared material from the elevated outer end of the swinging boomdistributor onto the area where the toe is to be constructed. Byappropriately manipulating the swinging boom distributor, the toe-iscompletely constructed,

and bearing in mind that this portion of the construction involves thefalling of'the material through the maximum distance, it readily will'beappreciated that thetoes of the levee so constructed will be of veiyfine and firm texture.

The travelling tripper mechanism and swinging boom distributor are thenjointly moved to a point adjacent the opposite end of the bridge and theother toe of the levee is constructed in a like manner. Then by placingthe tripper and swinging boom distributor in a central po- "sition onthe bridge, material may be distributed into the central area to formthe core of the levee; Having completed toes of substantialconstruction, it is apparent that the core may be vance the entirelayout of equipment and this quickly may be accomplished by virtue ofthe mounting of the conveyor units and distributing unit on suitabletrucks supported by previously laid tracks and the mounting of theexcavators on self propelling endless treads. V

The movement of the conveyor units E and the distributing unit-G-toaccommodate the progress of the building levee, may be accomplishedwithout disturbing the continuous flow of material from the conveyorunits onto the distributing unit because of the inclusion in the entireassembly of the automatically registering intermediate transfer conveyorI-I. In the preferred arrangement of the apparatus, the distributing,unit G may be moved relative to the line offeed of the conveyor units Eover a distance of substantially 26 feet without necessitating movementof the conveyor units. Likewise, the said units may be moved an equaldistance relative to the distributing unit without disturbing thelatter. This automatically registering, intermediatetransfer conveyor,therefore, makes it possible to continue the construction of the leveeduring movement of all of the equipment.

A detailed description of my improved apparatus now will be given:

It is believed to be unnecessary to describe in detail the constructionof the conveyor units E as each one of these units merely consists of asuitably fabricated and strengthened frame mounted upon trucks 'atdesired intervals and including a suitable hopper at the receiving endwith the discharge end elevated to accommodate the hopper of the nextsuccessive unit. A. continuous conveyor belt is suitably supported onidlers carried by the frame and is driven at a desired speed toaccommodate the desired rate of travel of materiallengthwise of theunit.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 collectively illustrate in detail the discharge end ofthe final conveyor ,unit E, the automatically registering, intermediatetransfer conveyor unit H which receives-material from the final feederconveyor unit E, and the distributing unit G which includes the bridgeemployed for supporting the travelling tripper and the longitudinallymovable and horizontally :swingable boomdistributor. It is believed tobe necessary to describe in detail these portions of my apparatus asthey constitute a very essential part of themechanism. At the left ofFig. 3, the discharge end of the final feeder conveyor unit isillustrated. This end of the unit is suitably mounted upon the truck itwhich in turn is supported by the tracks F.

The bridge 9 of the distributing unit consists ofa suitably fabricatedand reinforced frame which is mounted at desired spaced intervals upon 5suitable trucks H which in turn are supported by tracks F. Pivotalconnections '12 are provided between the frame of the bridge g and thetrucks H to permit the bridge to adapt itself to the mounting of thetracks F on diiferent levels. The bridge g is formed with an inclinedreceiving end it which straightens out to form the substantiallyhorizontally extending main top portion it. Mounted on this top portionl d, inany desired manner, are tracks [5 which, as will be explained ata later point, are employed for supporting the travelling tripper andthe swinging boom distributor. Suitably spacedand properly supportedpulleys it are provided for the inclined receiving end it of the bridgeand the horizontally,

extending top portion for the purpose of supporting an endless conveyorbelt l1. At the receiving end of the bridge, this belt is trained overrelatively large pulleys l8, l9 and'2il. The conveyor belt is supportedat theouter end of the 5 bridge by means of relatively large pulleys 21'and 22. This arrangement of pulleys" it, and l8--to 22 inclusive,arranges the conveyor belt 11 "in two different parallel runs withthebelt at the receiving end of the bridge arranged to coincide with theinclination of the end'lt of the bridge by means of the pulleys 'l 8 to2B;

This conveyor belt ll is driven by means of a motor 23, suitably mountedat the outer end'of the bridge. transmission is provided and consists ofa belt or chain drive 26 extending from the motor 23 to counter shaft25. A second belt or chain'Zfi connects the shaft 25 to the shaft 2'!which supports the belt driving pulley 22. It is to be understood thatsuitable pulleys or sprockets are employed for cooperating with thebelts or chains 24 and 25 to complete this form of drive. For thepurpose of maintaining the conveyor belt l1 properly tensioned, the endpulley 29 for the belt is supported by a truck 28 mounted for movementrelative to the inclined receiving end l3 of the bridge. A cable, or thelike, 29 is attached to the truck 28 and is trained over a suitablyarranged series of pulleys 30. The free end of this cable 29 is attachedto a weight 3 i 'slidably guided for vertical movement on the bridge bymeans of rails, or the like 32.

The tripper g consists of a suitably fabricated frame of substantiallytriangular shape in side elevation. This tripper frame is provided withtruck portions 33 supported by wheels 34 for travel over the tracks l5which extend longitudinally of the top of the bridge. tripper frame is.inclined from. its receiving end to its discharge end porticnwith thesaid discharge end portion 35 arranged substantially horizontally. Asuitably arranged and'supported series of relatively small pulleys 3?are associated with the inclined portion and the top of the tripperframe. The'horizontally arranged discharge end portion 35 of thetrippe'r is provided with a pair of spaced, relatively la-rgerpulleys 33which are arranged substantially in horizontal alinement.

The top portion 35 of the.

end portion 36 of the tripper.

A third, relatively large pulley 39 is arranged beneath the overhangingdischarge end portion of the tripper frame. An additional pulley 49 issuitably supported relative to the forward truck 33 of the tripperframe. These numerous pulleys 31, 38, 39 and 49 are employed forsupporting and guiding the conveyor belt H with respect to the tripperso that material being conveyed by the belt will be moved upwardly alongthe inclined top portion 35 of the tripper to be discharged from theextremity of the horizontally extending The numerous belt supportingidlers, carried by the bridge 9 and the tripper g permit the said beltto be supported upon the bridge and the tripper in such a manner thatthe tripper may be moved longitudinally of the bridge without disturbingthe operation of the conveyor belt l and without interrupting themovement of the material thereover. This arrangement of pulleys alsopermits the tripper to be arranged at any desired point with respect tothe length of the bridge for discharging material from the outer end ofthe tripp i The swinging boom distributor g is adapted for movementalong the top of the bridge g and for receiving material discharged fromthe upper end of the tripper g. This distributing boom consists of atruck il mounted upon the rails It? by means of wheels 2. A platform 43is pivotally mounted upon the truck A! and supports the verticallyadjustable boom frame 44. A conveyor belt 25 is trained over supportingpulleys 46 carried by the boom frame 44 and is provided with a suitabledrive 4'1. A frame structure 48 is supported bythe platform 43 andsupports suitable hopper mechanism 49. An adjustable connection 50 isprovided between the tripper g and the truck for the distributing boomto bring about simultaneous movement of both the tripper anddistributing boom while maintaining the discharge end portion 36 of thetripper in proper relation to cause material discharged therefrom to bereceived in the hopper 4i and to be deposited by this hopper upon theconveyor belt 45 of the boom.

The frame 44 for the boom distributor conveyor is pivoted at 5|. Asuitable counterweight 52 is mounted on the rear portion of the platform43 to balance the boom.

As the construction of the levee progresses, it becomes necessary tobodily advance the distributing unit G and the conveyor units E. Toenable these units to be independently moved without interrupting theflow of material from the borrow pit to the levee, there has beenprovided an intermediate, automatically registering transfer conveyorunit.

This unit H consists of a suitably fabricated and braced frame -53having properly mounted thereon two series of pulleys 54. At theopposite ends of the frame 53, relatively large pulleys 55 and 56 areprovided. These various pulleys 54, 55 and 56 support a conveyor belt 51with the pulleys 55 and 56 determining the opposite ends of the twodifferent runs of the belt. The pulley 58 is driven by a belt or linkchain 58, a countershaft 59, a second belt or chain 68 and an electricmotor 6!. The large end pulley 56, therefore, acts as a driving pulleyfor the conveyor. The motor 6! is mounted on a suitable platform 62arranged to bridge the top of the frame 53.

It will be noted that this transfer unit H has its frame 53 inclinedwith respect to the ground line. The lower end or foot of the frame isformed with a platform 63 which, as is shown in ported by wheels 12.

Fig. 9, is swingably connected to the truck III by means of a center pin64. Longitudinally extending bearing plates 65 are positioned beneaththe opposite side portions of the platform 63 and are adapted to restupon supporting rollers 66 carried This mounting of the foot of by thetruck ID. the transfer conveyor unit H permits the said unit to swinghorizontally and vertically with respect to the truck in and thedischarge end of the final conveyor unit E. A suitable hopper 61 isprovided for this receiving end of the transfer unit.

For the purpose of mounting the delivery end or head of the transferconveyor unit H upon the receiving end of the bridge g, the latter hasmounted upon a suitable super-frame structure 68 a pair of rails 69formed with turned-up ends 10 to act as stops. Mounted upon these rails69 for movement along the same is a truck H sup- This truck, see Fig. 8,includes a suitably fabricated bridge portion 13. Horizontally pivotallyconnected to the top I4 of the bridge 1'3 is a cross beam I5. A centerpin 16 constitutes this pivotal connection. The cross beam 15 has hingedto its opposite ends, as at H, the projecting ends 18 of the side topbeams of the frame 53.

Arranged between the rails 69 and properly positioned with respect tothe belts 51 and I! of the transfer unit H and the bridge grespectively, is a suitable hopper structure 19 which permits theconveyor belt 51 to discharge its material upon the conveyor belt I!regardless of the position of the head of the transfer conveyor withrespect to the receiving end of the bridge.

It will be appreciated that when the distributing unit G and theconveyor units E are moved relative to each other along the tracks F;that is, when either the distributing unit G 'or the final conveyor unitE is moved along its tracks F without the remaining unit being moved,thedistance between the adjacent ends of these units increases ordecreases depending upon whether the moved unit travels toward or awayfrom the unit which is not moved. This difference in distance betweenthe adjacent ends of the units E and G is automatically taken care of bythe above described mountings for the transfer unit H. The oppositeends'of this unit, therefore, are at all times automatically registeredwith the units E and G. The range of relative movement between the unitsE and G naturally may be varied by merely varying the relative sizes ofthe different elements of the mountings. During the automatic adjustmentof the head of the transfer conveyor unit H with respect to the bridgeg, the truck 1! will travel.

along the rails 69. The center pin 16 will permit relative swingingmovement between the head of the transfer conveyor unit and the bridgeportion 3 of the truck. Due to the travel of the said truck over theinclined rails 69, the inclination of the frame 53 of the transfer unitwill vary. This variation in inclination is taken care of by the hingeconnections I1 between the truck H and the frame 53. Fig. 7 shows thisrelative movement of the transfer unit relative to the adjacent,

ends of the conveyor unit E and the bridge g. Any variation ininclination of the foot or receiving end of the transfer unit may betaken care of in the connection between the center pin 64, the platform63 and the rollers 66.

In relation to the structural character of the completed levee, afurther feature of outstanding importance is the discharge of thematerial from a relatively high point represented by the discharge endof the swinging boom distributor re-- to deliver material removed fromthe pit to the conveyor, a swinging boom positioned to selectivelydistribute the material to build the levee formation desired, means forsupporting the swinging boom for bodily movement both transversely andlongitudinally of the levee site, a travelling tripper and conveyor forcontinuously feeding the material to the boom, and conveyor means forcontinuously feeding the material from the receiving conveyor to thetravelling tripper, said tripper being movable with the boom during itstransverse movements to prevent interruption in the feed of material.

5. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removedfrom a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operativelyconnected and positioned in advance of the working faces of the borrowpit and the building levee to continuously feed material deliveredthereto to the levee site, said units consisting of a conveyor toreceive the material from the borrow pit and move the same toward thelevee site, means for supporting said conveyor for movement laterally ofthe line of travel of the handled material, a material sizing andfeeding unit arranged to deliver material removed from the pit to theconveyor, a swinging boom positioned to selectively distribute thematerial to build the levee forma tion desired, means for supporting theswinging boom for bodily movement both transversely and longitudinallyof the levee site, a travelling tripper and conveyor for continuouslyfeeding the material to the boom, and conveyor means for continuouslyfeeding the material from the receiving conveyor to the travellingtripper, said last mentioned means being adapted for continuing thefeeding of material during all movements of the boom.

6. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removedfrom a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operativelyconnected and positioned in advance of the working faces of the borrowpit and the building levee to continuously feed material deliveredthereto to the leveesite, said units consisting of a conveyor to receivethe material from the borrow pit and move the same toward the leveesite, means for supporting said conveyor for movement laterally of theline of travel, of the handled material, a swinging boom positioned toselectively distribute the material to build the levee formationdesired, means for supporting the swinging boom for bodily movement bothtransverselyand longitudinally of the levee site, a travelling tripperand conveyor for continuously feeding the material to theboom, andconveyor means being pivotally connected to the receiving conveyor andpivotally and slidably connected to the support for said boom foreffecting continuous feeding of the material from the receiving conveyorto the travelling tripper, said last mentioned means being adapted forcontinuing feeding of material during all simultaneous or independentmovements ofthev boom and the receiving conveyor.

7. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removedfrom a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operativelyconnected and positioned in advance of the working faces of the borrowpit and the building levee to continuously feed material deliveredthereto to the levee site, said units consisting of a conveyor toreceive the material from the borrow pit and move the same toward thelevee site, means for supporting said conveyor for movement laterally ofthe line of travel of the handled material, a material sizing andfeeding unitarranged to deliver material removed from the pit to theconveyor, a bridgehaving' a conveyor arranged to extend transversely ofthe levee site, means for supporting the bridge for movement relative tothe levee site, a swinging boom mov-. able along the bridge todistribute material throughout the width of said site, a tripper movablealong the bridge with the boom and cooperating with the bridge conveyorto feedmaterial to the boom, and conveyor means for transferring thematerial from the receiving conveyor to the tripper.

8. Apparatus for building a levee, 'or the like,

with material removed from a borrow pit, com-- prising a plurality ofconveyor units operatively connected and positioned in advance of theworking faces of the borrow pit and the building levee to continuouslyfeed material delivered thereto to the levee site, said units consistingof a conveyor to receive the material from the borrow pit and move thesame toward the leveesite, means for supporting said conveyor formovement laterally of the line of travel of the handled material, abridge having a conveyor arranged to extend transversely of the leveesite, means for supporting the bridge-for movement relative to the leveesite, a swingingboom movable along the bridge to distribute materialthroughout the width of said site, a tripper movable along the bridgewith the boom and cooperating with the bridge conveyor tofeed materialto the boom, and conveyor means pivotally connected to the receivingconveyor and pivotally and slidably connected to the bridgeforcontinuously feeding material to the tripper.

9. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removedfrom a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operativelyconnected and positioned in advance of the working faces of the borrowpit and the building levee -to continuously feed material deliveredthereto to the levee site, said units consisting of a conveyor toreceive the material from the borrow pit and move the same toward thelevee site, means for supporting said conveyor for movement laterally ofthe line of travel of the handled material, a bridge having a conveyorarranged to extend transversely of the levee site, means for supportingthe bridge for'movement relative to the levee site, a swinging boommovable along the bridge to distribute material throughout the width ofsaid site, a tripper movable along the bridge with the boom andcooperating with the bridge conveyor to feed material to the boom, anintermediate conveyor fortransferring the material from the receivingconveyor to the tripper, and means for adjustably connecting saidintermediate conveyor to the receiving conveyor and the bridge to causethe intermediate conveyor to automatically register with the receivingconveyor and the tripper in any position of adjustment of the same.

10. Apparatus of the type described comprising a pair of spaced beltconveyor units, means for supporting said conveyor units for independentbodily movement along parallel lines, a third conveyor to transfermaterial from one to the other of said conveyor belts, and means foruniversally pivotally and slidably connecting said third conveyor to theframe of one of said units and pivotally connecting it to the supportingmeans for the other of said units to cause it to continuously registerwith the pair of conveyors.

11. Apparatus of the type described, comprismesss inga pair ofconveyorunits having their adja veyor unit to said supporting means for one ofsaid pair of units and for universally pivotally and slidably connectingthe other end of the saidthird conveyor unit to the frame portion of thesecondof said pair of units to cause said third unit to automaticallyregister with said pair of units during limited relative movementbetween the latter.

12'. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removedfrom a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operativelyconnected in series to extend transversely and in advance of the faceofv the borrow pit and the workingface of the building levee tocontinuously. feed material delivered thereto to the levee site, meansfor supporting the conveyor units to permitthem to be moved laterally asthe building of the levee progresses, a plurality of material si ing andfeeding units arranged to extend between the borrow pit and the seriesof conveyor units to deliver material excavated from the pit to theunits, a swingable distributing boom mounted for movement along theconveyor unit located in advance of the working face of the buildinglevee, and means for causing the last-mentioned conveyorv unit todeliver the material handled thereby to the distributing boom.

13;. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, withmaterial removedfrom a borrow pit, comprising aplurality of conveyor units operativelyconnected in series to extend transversely and in advance of the face ofthe borrow pit and the working face of the building levee tocontinuously feed material delivered thereto to the levee site, meansfor supporting the conveyor units to permit them to be moved laterallyas the building of the'levee progresses, a plurality of material s zingand feeding units arranged to extend between the borrow pit and theseries of conveyor units to deliver material excavated from the saidpitto the units, means for supporting the mate-- rial sizing and feedingunits for movement with the conveyor units, a plurality of excavatorunits for removing material from the borrow pit and depositing it in thematerial sizing and feeding units, a swingable distributing boom mountedformovement along the conveyor unit located in advance of the workingface of the building levee, andmeans for causing-the last-mentionedconveyor :unit to deliver the material handled therebyto thedistributing boom.

14; Apparatus of the type described comprising apair of .conveyor unitsarranged to feed material in the same general direction, means forsupporting said units for lateral movement along substantially parallelpaths, a transfer conveyor unit. adapted to receive material from theend of oneof said pair of conveyor units and deliver it to the adjacentend of the other conveyor unit, means for pivotally connecting one endof the transfer conveyor unit to the means for supporting one. of saidpair of conveyor units, rails mounted on. the frame of the other of saidpair of conveyor. units, a frame bridging said rails to travel thereon,and means for pivotally supporting the other end of said transferconveyor unit on said bridging frame.

15. Apparatus of the type described comprising a conveyor unit, meansfor supporting said unit for lateral bodily movement, a bridge conveyorunit, means for supporting said bridge unit for lateral bodily movement,said bridge unit comprising a frame structure including an inclinedreceiving end portion and a horizontally extending main portion, atripper movable along saidhorizontal portion of the bridge, a swingingboom distributor also movable along said bridge, a transfer conveyorunit adaptedto feed material from the discharge end of thefirst-mentioned conveyor unit to the inclined receiving end of saidbridge conveyor unit, means for horizontally, swingably mounting one endof the transfer conveyor unit on the supporting means for thefirstmentioned conveyor unit, and means for mounting the remaining endof the transfer conveyor unit on the inclined receiving end of saidbridge unit.

16. Apparatus of the type describedcomprising a conveyor unit, means forsupporting said unit for lateral bodily movement, a bridge conveyorunit, means for supporting said bridge unit for lateral bodily movementin a path parallel to the path of movement of said conveyor unit, saidbridge conveyor unit comprising a frame structure including an inclinedreceiving end portion and a horizontally extending main portion, atripper movable along said horizontal portion of the bridge, a swingingboom distributor also movable along said bridge, means for adjustablycoupling the tripper and the boom distributor for simultaneous movement,a transfer conveyor unit adapted to feed material from the discharge endof the first-mentioned conveyor unit to the: inclined receiving end ofsaid bridge conveyor. unit, means for horizontally, swingably mounting.one end of the transfer conveyor unit on thesupporting means for thefirst-mentioned,conveyon unit, and means for mounting the remaining endof ,the transfer conveyor unit on the inclined.- receiving end of saidbridge unit, said last-men tioned means being constructed to permit thetransfer conveyor unit to travel in opposite directions along theinclined end of the bridge and to pivot about horizontal and verticalaxes.

17. Apparatus forbuilding a levee, orthe like, with material removedfrom a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operatively.

connected in series to extend transversely and in advance of the face ofthe borrow pit and the working face of the building levee tocontinuously feed'material delivered thereto to the levee site, meansfor supporting the conveyorunits to permit them to be moved laterally asthe building of the levee progresses, a .rnaterial sizing and. feedingunit arranged to deliver material excavated from the pit to the units, aswingable distributing boom mounted for movement'along the conveyor unitlocated inadvance of the working face of the building levee, and meansfor causing the last-mentioned conveyor unit'to deliver the materialhandled thereby to the distributing boom.

18. Apparatus for building a levee,.or the like, with material removedfrom aborrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor unitsoperatively'connected in series to extend transversely and. in advance of the faceofthe borrow pit'and the working face of the building l vee tocontinuously feed materialdelivered thereto to the levee site," meansfor supporting the conveyor units to permit them to be moved laterallyas the building of the levee progresses, a material sizing and feedingunit arranged to deliver material excavated from the pit to the units, aswingable distributing boom mounted for movement along the conveyor unitlocated in advance of the working face of the building levee, and atraveling tripper mounted on the last-mentioned conveyor unit to deliverthe material handled thereby to the distributing boom.

19. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like,

with material removed from a borrow pit, com' prising a plurality ofconveyor units operatively connected in series to extend from the borrowpit to the building levee to continuously feed material deliveredthereto to the levee site, means for supporting the conveyor units topermit them to be moved laterally as the building of the leveeprogresses, a material sizing and feeding unit arranged to delivermaterial excavated from the pit to the units, a swingable distributingboom mounted for movement along the conveyor unit located at the leveeend of the series,,and means for causing the last-mentioned conveyorunit to deliver the material handled thereby to the distributing boom.

20. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removedfrom a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operativelyconnected in series to extend from the borrow pit to the building leveeto continuously feed ma terialdelivered thereto to the levee site, meansfor supporting the conveyor units to permit them to be moved laterallyas the building of the levee progresses, a material sizing and feedingunit arranged to deliver material excavated from the pit to the units,an excavating unit for removing material from the borrow pit anddepositing it in the material sizing and feeding unit, a swingabledistributing boom mounted for movement along the conveyor unit locatedat the levee end of the series, and a travelling tripper mounted on thelast-mentioned conveyor unit to deliver the material handled thereby tothe distributing boom. 7

21. Apparatus of the type described comprising a pair of conveyor unitsarranged to feed material in the same general direction, means forsupporting said units for lateral movement along substantially parallelpaths, a transfer conveyor unit adapted to receive material from the endof one of said pair of conveyor units and deliver it to the adjacent endof the other conveyor unit, means for pivotally connecting one end ofthe transfer conveyor unit to the means for supporting one of said pairof conveyor units, a truck supported for movement on the frame of theother of said pair of conveyor units, and means for pivotally supportingthe other end of said transfer conveyor unit on said truck for movementabout two axes arranged at right angles to each other.

22. Apparatus of the type described comprising a conveyor unit, meansfor supporting said unit for lateral bodily movement, a bridge conveyorunit, means for supporting said bridge unit for lateral bodily movement,a tripper movable along said bridge, a swinging boom distributor alsomovable along said bridge, a transfer conveyor unit adapted to feedmaterial from the discharge end of the first-mentioned conveyor unit tothe receiving end of said bridge conveyor unit, means for horizontally,swingably mounting one end of the transfer conveyor unit on thesupporting means for the first-mentioned conveyor unit, and

means for universally pivotally mounting the remaining end of thetransfer conveyor unit on the receiving end of said bridge unit frame.

23. Apparatus of the type described comprising a conveyor unit, meansfor supporting said unit for lateral bodily movement, a bridge conveyorunit, means for supporting said bridge unit for lateral bodily movementin a path parallelto the path of movement of said conveyor unit, atripper movable along said bridge, a swinging boom distributor alsomovable along said bridge, means for adjustably coupling the tripper andthe boom distributor for simultaneous movement, a transfer conveyor unitadapted to feed material from the discharge end of the first-mentionedconveyor unit to the receiving end of said bridge conveyor unit, meansfor horizontally, swingably mounting one end of the transfer conveyorunit on the supporting means for the firste mentioned conveyor unit, andmeans for mounting the remaining end of the transfer conveyor unit onthe receiving end of the bridge unit, said last-mentioned means beingconstructed to. permit the transfer conveyor unit to travel inoppositedirections along the bridge and to pivot about horizontal and verticalaxes.

24. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removedfrom a borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operativelyconnected in series to extend from the borrow pit to the building levee,means for independently supporting two of the conveyor units of theseries to permit them to be moved laterally as the building of the leveeprogresses, means for horizontally swingably connecting a third conveyorunit of the series to the adjacent ends of said two laterally movableunits to permit said third unit to transfer material between said twounits during and between relative lateral movements of said two units, aunit for uniformly feeding material excavated from the pit to one ofsaid two conveyor units, a swingable distributingboom mounted formovement along the second of said two conveyor units to distributematerial onto the building levee, and means for causing delivery ofmaterial to the boom from the conveyor unit on which the boom ismounted.

25. Apparatus for building a levee, or the like, with material removedfrom a. borrow pit, comprising a plurality of conveyor units operativelyconnected in series to extend from the borrow pit to the building levee,means for independently supporting'two of the conveyor units of theseries to permit them to be moved laterally as the building of the leveeprogresses, means for horizontally swingably connecting a third conveyorunit of the series to the adjacent ends of said two laterally movableunits to permit said third unit to transfer material between said twounits during and between relative lateral movements of said two units, aunit for uniformly feeding material excavated from the pit to one ofsaid two conveyor units, a swingable distributing boom mounted formovement along the second of said two conveyor units to distributematerial onto the building levee, and a travelling tripper fordelivering material to the boom from the conveyor unit on which the boomis mounted.

W. E. PHILIPS.

